Tuesday, April 14, 2009

He was that crazy

Tom Maguire says that Tom DeLay never said that the teaching of evolution contributed to the Columbine massacre. Paul Krugman says that he did. Strangely, while Tom Maguire will provide many links to what he says are people misquoting DeLay, he never tells you what DeLay actually said. The closest he gets is a link to the Crossing Wall St blog, which provides lots of context for DeLay, but never says what DeLay actually said. Which is odd, because it's one of those things you can look up --

Congressional Record: June 16, 1999 (House)][Page H4364-H4414]

Mr. DeLAY. Mr. Chairman, I appreciate the gentleman from Florida yielding me this time. Mr. Chairman, I just think it is sort of ironic that the very ones that wanted us to come straight from the Senate with a bill to the floor with no consideration are now complaining because there was not enough consideration. Mr. Chairman, I just want to say that the truth will make us free if we admit what the truth is. Every once in a while, I read something or hear something that blows away all that smoke that clouds a particular issue. A letter written by a Mr. Addison Dawson to the San Angelo Standard-Times is just such a statement. In fact, after I make this statement, I do not think anybody else needs to speak. We just need to vote.

He then read the letter that blamed, inter alia, the teaching of evolution for school gun massacres, having endorsed its elements jointly and severally as the quote above makes absolutely clear.

Some day we'll write a post that we've always wanted to write, outlining a Grand Unified Theory of Right-Wing Lunacy which shows that the ultimate target is always Charles Darwin. Charles Darwin made the masses think for themselves about why the world is. He's never been forgiven for it.